HOMETOWN HERO JILL MARTINDALE FINISHES and is Co-CHAMPION OF THE IDITAROD TRAIL INVITATIONAL
During this crazy time, we here at Pavement Ends thought it might be great to focus on what is GOOD in this world! Perhaps you have a good news story of your own to share? We would like to kick things off in congratulating our very own Grand Rapids Hometown Hero: Jill Martindale. After 22 days, 7 hours and 30 minutes, Jill has biked and hiked her way across the state of Alaska to the Iditarod Trail Invitational finish line with race buddies Casey Fagerquist and Petr Ineman (who has also raced the Barry-Roubaix) by her side for a 3-way tie for first place!
Petr Ineman, Casey Fagerquist and Jill Martindale co-champions and only finishers of the 2020 Iditarod Trail Invitational ! PHOTO CREDIT: Iditarod Trail Invitational
The 3 of them were the only ones this year to complete the 1,000 mile trek across Alaska. All crossing the finish line together in a 3-way tie for first place and great display of teamwork and camaraderie. This year was extremely grueling and Mother Nature was relentless throwing all kinds of curveballs at all the racers, unfortunately causing many to have to withdraw due to circumstances beyond their control.
The ITI began on March 1st with 76 athletes competing in two different distances and after just 3 days of blizzard conditions, tons of hike-a-biking and walking in soft, deep snow with terrible headwinds, and moose encounters on the trail, many of the athletes had to call it quits. Not Jill! With blistered feet, but perseverance and cheery attitude, she pushed her 55 pound loaded bike through the snow, heading toward the mountains. Conditions worsened with winds up to 45 mph, 5-7 foot snow drifts, and wind chills dipping to -60 degrees!
By the 6th day, Jill caught up to the leader, (Casey) as they had reached McGrath, the finish line for the 350 mile race, and where only 24 of the racers would continue on towards Nome for the 1000 mile race. Jill sent us this picture as they rested there for a day as she watched Casey running around getting chased by a moose! The moose eventually lost interest and went over to lick Casey’s saddle! Once he was done licking the saddle he eventually moved on and the racers were also able to move on and hop on their bikes to keep heading towards Nome. We can’t wait to hear all the fun amazing stories like this one that Jill has to share!
Moose outside McGrath Cabin
PHOTO COURTESY JILL MARTINDALE
On the 11th day the athletes found out that many of the checkpoints where their dropbox bags had been sent to, and possible places to stay warm during the race would have to close due to the Coronavirus. However the race promoters along with local villagers and trail angels made sure that the racers would be able to continue safely and reach their drop bags. One such welcoming warm safe haven was the pizza place in Unalakleet at mile 694 called Peace on Earth, where the trio happily ate delicious and well-earned pizza and were able to rest after many long days. If you know Jill, you know how much she loves pizza, this must’ve been a highlight of the race for sure!
18 days into the race, Jill and the guys got word that the ice they had just traversed was no longer safe to cross and all of the athletes behind them would have to unfortunately be pulled from the race. However since the three of them had already crossed, they were allowed to continue on, following some re-routes to avoid other dangerous open water areas. This meant hiking their bikes up steep mountain passes in white-out conditions and slushy snow as the temperature was warming up, which slowed their progress. The Iditarod Dog Sled race also had to do some re-routing due to the storm, and Jill, Casey, and Petr tried to work with the last 11 sled dog teams over the top of Mount Kwiniuk, also known as Little McKinley, only to encounter white-out conditions making it impossible to see where the trail was and a doggy traffic jam. For all of their safety they all had to backtrack and return to the previous checkpoint of Elim to hunker down for the night.
The next days brought on more freezing fog, sloppy slushy conditions, but they trudged along and finally made it to the finish line together!
There is no doubt that Jill’s positivity, tenacity, courage, mental and physical strength and perseverance helped get her and her race buddies to the finish line in Nome! The only 3 racers to finish the 2020 race together and survive 22 days, 7 hours, and 30 minutes of what will surely go down in history as one of the most epic ITI races of all!
Congratulations, Jill, Casey, and Petr! Check out more details about their adventures on the Iditarod Trail Invitational page here:
We can’t wait to hear all about Jill’s adventure in her own words when she gets back and will undoubtedly have an amazing story to tell.
DISCLAIMER: this recap merely scratches the surface and is told from our outsider perspective. We’re just so proud of her and Petr and Casey and wanted to share some good cheer and good news with all our Barry-Roubaix racers.
Have a great story to share? We know we’ve had some good ones at Barry-Roubaix throughout the years including a couple who get engaged during our race! As well as the times Jeff Jacobi has raced his pink scooter and the next year a high-wheeler for charity. Feel free to tell your story as we follow Jill’s example and way of life! Dreaming big and having a positive mental attitude and perseverance can get us through just about anything!
Stay safe! Stay Healthy!
The Pavement Ends Team
should we make a new Barry-Roubaix 1000 mile race distance? full of only Sager roads and 2017 race conditions?